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TAN Resurrection
The Battle of the Virtues and Vices: Defending the Interior Castle of the Soul
What is the greatest spiritual battle?
The greatest battles do not occur in a distant land or even in past times but in the depths of the human soul. It is the battle between virtue and vice, the conflict between aspiring to be a saint or living a mediocre life. The conflict between reaching heaven or forfeiting it.
In this spiritual masterpiece, Pope Saint Leo IX, identifies our “The enemies in this battle—the vices and temptations which infect our fallen nature—are invisible and internal.”
These invisible and internal vices have dragged many souls to hell, and they will not stop until every person has surrendered to their pernicious and vile attacks. Are you saddened and discouraged by such daily assaults? There is hope. In these pages, you will find over twenty-five virtues to help you win the spiritual victory against sin. With God’s grace and virtues like humility, detachment, prudent restraint, firm stability, and others, the battle can be won.
But keep in mind that spiritual victory does not happen overnight. The battle wages on until your final breath. The question Are you willing to fight?
Just as this book is a dialogue between the virtues and vices, so too must we learn to listen to the voice of truth and not the voice of lies. The Lord, the General of our souls, whispers words of encouragement and peace while the devil, the captain of vice and enemy of our souls, tempts us to sin and then accuses us.
On our earthly pilgrimage fraught with suffering, sorrow, and trials, let us keep our eyes fixed on our celestial homeland, the eternal city, where there will be perpetual peace. In heaven, Our Lord will welcome His glorious martyrs and courageous soldiers, those who have kept the faith and fought victoriously.
There is nothing more important in this life than fortifying the interior castle of the soul with virtue.
The greatest battles do not occur in a distant land or even in past times but in the depths of the human soul. It is the battle between virtue and vice, the conflict between aspiring to be a saint or living a mediocre life. The conflict between reaching heaven or forfeiting it.
In this spiritual masterpiece, Pope Saint Leo IX, identifies our “The enemies in this battle—the vices and temptations which infect our fallen nature—are invisible and internal.”
These invisible and internal vices have dragged many souls to hell, and they will not stop until every person has surrendered to their pernicious and vile attacks. Are you saddened and discouraged by such daily assaults? There is hope. In these pages, you will find over twenty-five virtues to help you win the spiritual victory against sin. With God’s grace and virtues like humility, detachment, prudent restraint, firm stability, and others, the battle can be won.
But keep in mind that spiritual victory does not happen overnight. The battle wages on until your final breath. The question Are you willing to fight?
Just as this book is a dialogue between the virtues and vices, so too must we learn to listen to the voice of truth and not the voice of lies. The Lord, the General of our souls, whispers words of encouragement and peace while the devil, the captain of vice and enemy of our souls, tempts us to sin and then accuses us.
On our earthly pilgrimage fraught with suffering, sorrow, and trials, let us keep our eyes fixed on our celestial homeland, the eternal city, where there will be perpetual peace. In heaven, Our Lord will welcome His glorious martyrs and courageous soldiers, those who have kept the faith and fought victoriously.
There is nothing more important in this life than fortifying the interior castle of the soul with virtue.
136 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2023
31 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 20, 2025
What I liked most about this book was its simplicity and succinctness. It reads as a back-and-forth dialogue between the personified Vices and Virtues. First a Vice comes in, is described, says his/her sales pitch and is followed by the corresponding Virtue who counters with a more persuasive argument, usually also a little longer and clearly superior. It is an easy, interesting read, and was written by Pope Leo IX, apparently a relatively unknown pope, not just to me. His intriguing short bio is in the beginning of the book. This would make a great gift for a young adult.
April 1, 2025
This is a truly fantastic little book. It reads as one long examination of conscience but unlike any other examination, it takes the form of a series of dialogues that captivate the reader’s attention. The voice of this saintly pope is unlike anything you would have heard from your parish priest! I can’t recommend it enough!
March 18, 2025
Short but really helpful
November 20, 2025
a useful little read that manages to be both in-depth and brief at the same time, true mastery of the principle “economy of language”
August 8, 2025
Beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL BOOK. I find it similar to The Paradise of the Soul by St. Albert the Great. It is modeled almost like a script. It presents the appearance of the vice and then they say their discourse. The virtue is then presented and described then they provide their counter to the previous vice. The vice and virtue are in an ironic sense complimentary so you know exactly what virtue to use to counter the vice. 9/10
November 11, 2025
I will be thinking about this book for a long time now. This was such a phenomenal book and it had great food for thought. Pope Saint Leo IX personified the virtues and the vices and it made me really understand virtues and vices more than I ever have.
April 29, 2025
I enjoyed this book. It’s one to come back to and reread. It reminded me of Screwtape Letter’s, but with shorter chapters focused in on specific vices and virtues.
August 23, 2025
Simple, short, straight to the point. I enjoyed the writing style of this as well. Definitely gave me things to consider and work on when it comes to virtues in my life.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews